Wednesday, 25 June 2014

One
of the things we are most proud of, is the fact that our menus are
created using seasonality as the theme. Locally and ethically sourced
produce also plays a big part and we are passionate about it.

Because
of our passion for local, we like to visit those producers who supply
us daily with all the wonderful ingredients that are used in our
menus. Last Summer we took a trip to Brogdale with the team and just
recently we have returned from visiting one of our other suppliers,
Chegworth Valley.

Many
of you will associate them to the award winning single variety and
blended fruit juices they create – all of which are pressed on the
farm using hand selected orchard ripe fruit, more often than not,
within hours of being picked. The range includes pure apple and pear
juices along with special blends using their own raspberries,
strawberries, blackcurrants and rhubarb to name a few. These juices
are all unique in flavour and are all lovingly pressed and gently
pasteurised to retain the flavour and nutritional properties of the
fruit.

There
is another side to Chegworth however, one that tenderly nurtures the
growth of all kinds of salad leaves, tomatoes, beetroot, cucumbers,
aubergines, squash, peppers, runner beans, fennel and much more, not
to mention the large selection of fruits, all of which are picked by
hand and carefully sorted and bagged for selling at the various
market stalls and farmers markets across the county and into London.

Chegworth
Valley is a family owned and run fruit farm. It was established in
1983 when David and his wife decided to give up work and start a
farm. The site had previously been a dairy farm forming part of the
Leeds Castle Estate. In the beginning, apple and pear trees were
planted, which were followed by strawberries, other soft fruits and
eventually salads and vegetables.

In
the very beginning, the farm supplied fruit to supermarkets and large
wholesalers, but it was soon clear that their interest was in the
shape and size of the fruit only, not in the way it had been grown it
or how it smelt and tasted. David and his family are passionate about
producing real fruit with the best possible taste and smell that
isn't full of harmful chemicals. They also wanted to deal with
customers directly who had a passion for real food and drink and
would prefer to support smaller produces than the big food
manufacturers and supermarkets who some feel have devalued the great
produce available here in the UK.

Their
passion for the produce they supply to us is something our Head Chef
sets out to capture and echo in all of the menus he creates, whilst
adding in his own passion for food and Kentish produce. Our Chefs
work with the farms on a seasonal basis so we know we are getting the
produce at its very best, where it has been grown in the best
conditions and will have the best flavour.

If
you are, as we can all be, guilty of the convenience of the
supermarket, then we suggest you give your local farmers market a go.
Use your local butcher and talk to them, find out exactly where your
meat is coming from. Talk to the local fishmonger and make sure you
are getting the best of the catch. Everyone of these specialists in
local food will love nothing more than to talk to you about their
passion – the produce they work with. Create your own passion for
the produce grown and reared in Kent and off of the coast and cook
with it, you will be amazed by the difference in quality and flavour.
If you want to see for yourself, just how amazing this local produce
is once it has been cooked, then come and visit us at The Fountain Restaurant and let our Chefs turn these wonderful, local, raw ingredients
into an experience to be remembered.